Partner

Financial Services & FinTech

Accolades

Expertise

Gareth is a financial services and blockchain regulatory wizard. With expert knowledge of the regulations relating to asset management, payment services and electronic money, Gareth ties together disparate strands of regulatory guidance to help clients achieve commercial outcomes whilst understanding the regulatory implications.

One of the pre-eminent blockchain lawyers in the UK, Gareth helps projects navigate the a global web of laws and regulations whilst providing strategic support to founders and regulatory and compliance teams. In this world, Gareth has supported projects as they move towards true decentralisation, taken firms through the cryptoasset registration process and helped build systems and controls for regulatory compliance and consumer protection.

With particular expertise in authorised investment funds, Gareth can establish, restructure and wind down UCITS and NURS products and provide the full suite of support to help managers establish the legal and regulatory framework around those products. He has been through most of the FCA’s authorisation processes including Part 4A authorisation, money laundering registration and payment services authorisation.

He has been published in the Financial Technology Law Review, the Law Society’s Blockchain: Legal and Regulatory Guidance publication and the International Comparative Law Guide to Public Investment Funds Laws and Regulations.

Gareth Advises

  • FCA and PRA authorised firms.
  • FinTech companies.
  • Participants across the blockchain ecosystem, including token developers, cryptoasset custodians, blockchain platforms, crypto-exchanges, exchanges run using distributed leger technology, crypto-custodians, crypto-brokers and DeFi protocols.
  • Robo-advisors and those setting up automated advice / robo-advice solutions.
  • Funds and asset managers.
  • Investment firms.

Experience Highlights

  • Advised the worlds biggest DAO by TVL on its engagement with and onboarding of contributors.
  • Provided ongoing structural and regulatory support to Minima, a layer 1 blockchain protocol.
  • Delivered numerous opinions on the securities laws implications of token offerings from blockchain projects.
  • Helped to structure and deploy a DeFi protocol operating globally with the first of its kind AML/CTF compliance framework.
  • Assisting two premiership football teams with their fan tokens.
  • Helped all eight of the Welsh Local Authorities to launch their joint £15bn pooled LGPS investment fund.
  • Helped various fund managers to implement regulatory change projects including MiFID II and UCITS V.
  • Provided regulatory support on a portfolio of over 100 authorised investment funds.
  • Advised Philips 66 on the implementation of a master merchant payment network structure for a portfolio of franchised fuel stations.
  • Advised Revout as part of its panel of legal firms including on the functionality of the Revolut app.
  • Assisted Sygnia Wealth on its incorporation in the United Kingdom.
  • Worked with various firms on their admission through the FCA sandbox.

Career History

Previous Law firms

  • Burges Salmon, Associate (2013-2020)
  • Stephenson Law, Head of Web3 Regulation (2021-2023)

Other Experience

  • Head of Operations, Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, IFSL Administration Limited, June 2020- Sept 2021
  • Co-founder, Englebert Limited March 2022-Present

Memberships

  • CISI Certificate in Investment Schemes Administration (Level 3) 11/2020 – Present
  • CISI Certificate in Corporate Finance Regulation (Level 3) 10/2015 – Present

Education

  • University of Cardiff, BA (Hons) English Literature 2003-2005
  • University of California, Irvine, BA (Hons) English Literature 2005-2006
  • College of Law, GDL, LPC and LLB, 2012-2013

Other

Expertise

Back to top

Gareth is a financial services and blockchain regulatory wizard. With expert knowledge of the regulations relating to asset management, payment services and electronic money, Gareth ties together disparate strands of regulatory guidance to help clients achieve commercial outcomes whilst understanding the regulatory implications.

One of the pre-eminent blockchain lawyers in the UK, Gareth helps projects navigate the a global web of laws and regulations whilst providing strategic support to founders and regulatory and compliance teams. In this world, Gareth has supported projects as they move towards true decentralisation, taken firms through the cryptoasset registration process and helped build systems and controls for regulatory compliance and consumer protection.

With particular expertise in authorised investment funds, Gareth can establish, restructure and wind down UCITS and NURS products and provide the full suite of support to help managers establish the legal and regulatory framework around those products. He has been through most of the FCA’s authorisation processes including Part 4A authorisation, money laundering registration and payment services authorisation.

He has been published in the Financial Technology Law Review, the Law Society’s Blockchain: Legal and Regulatory Guidance publication and the International Comparative Law Guide to Public Investment Funds Laws and Regulations.

Gareth Advises

Back to top

  • FCA and PRA authorised firms.
  • FinTech companies.
  • Participants across the blockchain ecosystem, including token developers, cryptoasset custodians, blockchain platforms, crypto-exchanges, exchanges run using distributed leger technology, crypto-custodians, crypto-brokers and DeFi protocols.
  • Robo-advisors and those setting up automated advice / robo-advice solutions.
  • Funds and asset managers.
  • Investment firms.

Experience Highlights

Back to top

  • Advised the worlds biggest DAO by TVL on its engagement with and onboarding of contributors.
  • Provided ongoing structural and regulatory support to Minima, a layer 1 blockchain protocol.
  • Delivered numerous opinions on the securities laws implications of token offerings from blockchain projects.
  • Helped to structure and deploy a DeFi protocol operating globally with the first of its kind AML/CTF compliance framework.
  • Assisting two premiership football teams with their fan tokens.
  • Helped all eight of the Welsh Local Authorities to launch their joint £15bn pooled LGPS investment fund.
  • Helped various fund managers to implement regulatory change projects including MiFID II and UCITS V.
  • Provided regulatory support on a portfolio of over 100 authorised investment funds.
  • Advised Philips 66 on the implementation of a master merchant payment network structure for a portfolio of franchised fuel stations.
  • Advised Revout as part of its panel of legal firms including on the functionality of the Revolut app.
  • Assisted Sygnia Wealth on its incorporation in the United Kingdom.
  • Worked with various firms on their admission through the FCA sandbox.

Career History

Back to top

Previous Law firms

  • Burges Salmon, Associate (2013-2020)
  • Stephenson Law, Head of Web3 Regulation (2021-2023)

Other Experience

  • Head of Operations, Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, IFSL Administration Limited, June 2020- Sept 2021
  • Co-founder, Englebert Limited March 2022-Present

Memberships

  • CISI Certificate in Investment Schemes Administration (Level 3) 11/2020 – Present
  • CISI Certificate in Corporate Finance Regulation (Level 3) 10/2015 – Present

Education

  • University of Cardiff, BA (Hons) English Literature 2003-2005
  • University of California, Irvine, BA (Hons) English Literature 2005-2006
  • College of Law, GDL, LPC and LLB, 2012-2013

Other

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